1

Anna DeSellas

The ‘Nuts & Bolts’ of the

Lake Partner Program

Scientist, Inland Lakes Monitoring &

Lake Partner Program Coordinator

Dorset Environmental Science Centre

Phosphorus and water quality

Phosphorus:

• A nutrient that is essential to aquatic systems and for organisms that inhabit them

• It is the “limiting” factor that controls the rate at which plants and algae grow

Aulacoseira sp. (a diatom)

Algal blooms can:

1) Reduce water clarity

2) Reduce deep-water oxygen

3) Produce toxins

4) Cause “bad” taste and odour

In excess quantities, phosphorus can contribute to algal blooms

(Photos: Bev Clark)

Sources of TP to lakes -watershed

- atmosphere

- erosion

- lake sediments

- septic/sewage/fertilizers

What role does phosphorus play?

• 1960-1970s – algae increased and water quality decreased in some Ontario lakes

• Why did water quality decrease?

• The next slide shows that phosphorus influences the frequency of algal blooms and the amount of aquatic vegetation.

6

Carbon & Nitrogen only

Carbon, Nitrogen

AND Phosphorus

ALGAL BLOOM!

Barrier

1970s –

Phosphorus became important

Experimental Lakes Area, NW Ontario

7

• In Ontario, we

frequently

manage our lakes

based on

phosphorus

• We know that as

phosphorus

increases, the

frequency of

nuisance algal

blooms increase

Oligotrophic Lakes

Eutrophic Lakes

10 µg

20 µg

TP

Mesotrophic Lakes

The main thing that separates lakes with

respect to their “character” is nutrients,

especially phosphorus.

Dystro

phic

(tea s

tain

ed) la

kes

Shallow, productive (warm water) lakes

- mixed to bottom

- productive (fish etc.)

- more algal blooms

- off shield lakes

Different types of lakes

Deep, unproductive (cold water) lakes

- stratified in summer

- unproductive

- clear water

- no algal blooms

- shield lakes

- lake trout lakes

Different types of lakes

Dystrophic (tea stained) lakes

- different “chemistry”

- high DOC

- carbon from watershed

- mostly shallow

- poor light penetration

- usually no algal blooms

Different types of lakes

12

Lake Partner Program Objectives

1) protect the water quality of

Ontario’s inland lakes by involving

the public in a volunteer-based

water quality monitoring program;

2) to maintain a database of nutrients

(total phosphorus) and water clarity

(Secchi transparency) (and calcium

since 2008);

3) to help volunteers…

a) define the trophic status of their

lakes;

b) ‘normal’ between-year trends in

phosphorus and water clarity

13

People Involved

• Currently coordinator (Anna DeSellas), Assistant Coordinator

(Christie Davies), and one university co-op student (shared

with another program) each summer and fall

• Volunteers (>600) and Science Partners (~15) collect water

samples and data

• Chemistry staff at DESC perform analyses

• Important partner, Federation of Ontario Cottagers’

Associations (FOCA) contributes through promotion,

education and stewardship

14

Timeline

Eutrophication

became an

important water

quality issue

1960s-70s

-Algae

-Water clarity

- Overall water

quality

MOE started the

Self-Help Program

1970s-1980s

- volunteer lake

stewards

- chlorophyll-a and

water clarity

(Secchi)

- MOE Toronto

office

MOE’s Lake

Partner Program

evolved

1996

- volunteer lake

stewards

- partnerships with

FOCA, DMM, LOWDPOA

- TP (low precision)

and water clarity

2012

Lake Partner

Program of the

21st century

2001

Lake Partner

Program moved to

Dorset

- precise TP

analysis and

duplicates

-Volunteer

numbers continued

to increased

15

Parameters measured (2002-present)

Total Phosphorus (TP) Secchi transparency

• Controls the growth

of algae in Ontario

Lakes

• Estimation of water

clarity

• DOC often masks

TP/algal relationship

• Useful to detect

changes resulting

from ‘other’

stressors

Calcium (since 2008)

• Declining

concentrations in many

Ontario shield lakes

(~80% < 10mg/L)

• Some daphniids and

other crustaceans

sensitive to decline

On Shield Lakes: spring

turnover [TP] in May

Off Shield Lakes: monthly

[TP]

Deep spot, 1x Secchi depth Bi-weekly, May-Oct

16

Program Extent – CHA Region

17

1 Sample kit (arrives in winter)

2 In May, Measure

and Record Secchi

depth at deep spot

3 Rinse 2x with filtered

lake water, obtain an

integrated water sample,

1x Secchi depth to

surface

4 Filter

with 80-µm

mesh

9 Data posted

online after

QA/QC

7 Affix

return

postage

and mail to

DESC 6 Fill

plastic jar 5 Fill 2 glass

tubes on site

Lake Partner Program Sampling Protocol

8 Analysis at

DESC chemistry

lab

18

Plastic sampling

bottle

Shipping box

Funnel with

filter mesh

(80 µm)

Secchi Disk

Return envelope

and postage Secchi disk recording sheet

and instructions

Duplicate glass TP

tubes with etched

line at 35 mL

Plastic jar for

Ca analysis

(and

contingency)

19

A note about sampling equipment

There are a few things the volunteer must

provide:

• Large washers, nut, eyebolt for Secchi

Disk;

• Anti-stretch rope (max 10 m; marked

every 10 cm);

• Weight for sample bottle: 900 g (2 lbs) is

enough to provide negative buoyancy (to

avoid biasing the sample to surface

water).

20

Other considerations…

• Why do we sample in

the spring only in most

Shield lakes?

Canadian

Shield

21

On-Shield vs. Off-Shield monthly TP trends

OFF SHIELD

[TP

] (µ

g/L

)

Aberdeen (Bass) Lake, 2007

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

May-07 Jun-07 Jul-07 Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07

Month

ON SHIELD

[TP

] (µ

g/L

)

Chub Lake, 2005

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

May-05 Jun-05 Jul-05 Aug-05 Sep-05 Oct-05 Nov-05

Month

22

ON SHIELD

• Spring sampling

• Shield lakes with blooms – monthly

(these are rare)

• Shield lakes in northwestern

Ontario – monthly (higher TP)

Spring vs Monthly sampling

OFF SHIELD

• Monthly sampling

• Generally they are susceptible

to algal blooms

T. Sellers

R. Ingram

23

Join the Ministry of

Environment’s Lake Partner

Program!

Web: www.desc.ca/programs/lpp

Email: lakepartner@ontario.ca

Phone (toll free): 1-800-470-8322

Outside Ontario: 705-766-1294

Visit FOCA’s website and watch their great training video!

http://foca.on.ca/lake-partner-program-sampling-assistance/